Batman Scribe Chuck Dixon Reveals DC Comics Stopped Paying Their Freelancers International Royalties Years Ago
As if the reputation of the Western comic book industry – and DC in particular – wasn’t already bad enough, prolific and celebrated creator Chuck Dixon has one more log to add to the fire.
In a recent Facebook post, Dixon divulged that DC has not paid international royalties for the overseas reprints of their work in other languages since at least 2009, which was well over a decade ago and before the launch of The New 52.
“Seriously, DC Comics stopped paying freelancers any international royalties in 2009,” Dixon shockingly revealed, adding he and others never received any notice and the DC office acted like it was no big deal. “They never sent out any of their patented ‘friendly’ letters to inform us. They just stopped paying and hoped no one would notice.”
Related: New Western Titled ‘Snakehand’ From Chuck Dixon Coming To Arktoons
What’s worse than the dishonesty and callous inattention DC showed, Dixon continued, is that the withholding of royalties really hits writers, artists, and industry pros with a lot of noteworthy titles to their name in their wallets, especially when the foreign publishing market continues an upward trajectory.
“Given the fact that foreign publishing (particularly in Europe) is more robust than ever, writers, artists and others are being cheated out of thousands of dollars annually,” he said.
This is only the second time the Batman scribe has talked about this scandalous information, having addressed it once before on his UNauthorized TV series, On Comics.
Dixon addressed his direct experience with international publishing and variant translations of DC graphic novels earlier this year on an episode of his YouTube show Ask Chuck Dixon, wherein he explained that you can only get an unabridged trade paperback of his pivotal story Joker’s Last Laugh in another language.
In another case of the company being misers, DC offered to let Dixon write an introduction to fill in gaps with the English translation but wouldn’t pay him anything extra.
Related: Disney Accused of Withholding Lucasfilm Novel Royalties From Additional Authors
More recently, Dixon discussed the future of DC and Marvel as the giants of the industry. Saying the Big Two are in “a suicide pact with themselves to destroy American comics,” he observed. “I’m beginning to believe that they are doing it intentionally. And I don’t think in a year from now DC or Marvel are going to exist as we see them today or as we ever remembered them.”
Are you shocked by Chuck Dixon’s latest revelation or do you agree with his prediction about Marvel and DC? Answer below.
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